Options: Standard glasshouse options are available with the Gardman, including an automatic opener for the roof vent which will ensure proper temperatures and humidity for your plants, a polycarbonate five-slat louvre vent for the side of the structure to add further ventilation as well as circulate the inside air (to prevent the growth of fungus), and an auto-opener for the side louvre vent. Other options like staging and shelving for this greenhouse are also available.

The only real complaint about this greenhouse is that the assembly instructions are a little hard to decipher. Otherwise, it’s a solid product; not a lot of frills, not a lot of options, not a lot of variety. But it looks good, is solidly-built, is less expensive than much of the competition – and does the job.

A solid greenhouse at an attractive price, good for either those starting out or those without a lot of room – that would be the perfect way to describe the Gardman 8x6 Greenhouse. At first glance, it looks a lot like the Halls Popular, but there are a few added options which not only make all the sense in the world, but make the Gardman a nice alternative for home or allotment gardeners who don’t really care about alternatives in glazing or colour.

Here’s a rundown of the Gardman 8x6 Greenhouse:

Size and Detailing: Obviously, the Gardman 8x6 comes in one size: 8 x 6. The company does, however, also make similar 6x4 and 6x6 models. This structure is standard as far as headroom is concerned, four feet at the eaves and a little over six feet at the ridge. There is one opening roof vent in this greenhouse, and one sliding free-running door with a fairly high threshold. Built-in gutters are included.

Frames and Base: The Gardman 8x6’s treated aluminum frame comes in just one colour, green powder coated, and is resistant to rust and corrosion. Standard with this greenhouse is a galvanized steel base which adds 13cm to the height of the structure and also adds stability.

Glazing: There is only one type of glazing available with this glasshouse, 4mm twin wall polycarbonate, which isn’t always ideal for very windy spaces, but has many other advantages. It insulates the inside of the structure almost twice as well as glass, diffuses sunlight so that it reaches the very far edges of the greenhouse, is UV stabilized so that it will protect plants and won’t yellow – and most importantly for families with children, it’s unbreakable. The nice features we mentioned earlier all involve the polycarbonate glazing; there are extra clips to make sure it stays in place, each sheet is 7mm longer than in most competitors’ structures for a better fit to the roof, and PVC strips have been added to the edges of each sheet to seal out the elements and help them fit better. If your heart is set on glass the Gardman 8x6 is not for you, but they’ve done a nice job to take a good glazing and make it even better.